1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise apparatus, and particularly to a portable exercise kit having weight lifting devices in which the weight is supplied by water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Exercise is generally recommended as an important component of physical fitness program. While isometric exercises (contraction of a muscle against an immovable object, producing tension without motion) have their merits, isotonic exercises (exercise with movement) are recognized as improving the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. It has been found that the value of isotonic exercise is greatly enhanced. It has further been thought that certain forms of isotonic exercise, particularly weight lifting, increases muscle size more rapidly than isometric exercise.
There are, however, certain impediments to maintaining a program of weight lifting. First, a standard set of weights is expensive. Second, a standard set of weights can require considerable storage space. For these reasons, some people prefer to go to a gym to work out with weight lifting equipment. However, many people find gyms and health club memberships too expensive and beyond their means, economically. Third, exercise should be repeated regularly to obtain maximum value. Many people travel in the course of their occupation, and it is simply impractical to transport a set of weights with them on business trips.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide alternative forms of weights which might be used for weight lifting exercises which are economical and portable. A number of devices have been developed which utilize containers that may be filled with water or other dense, flowable materials as substitutes for standard weights.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. 297,961, issued Oct. 4, 1988 to W. J. Eggar, shows what appears to be a rigid bottle with a rectangular hole and a hand grip defined therein and having a removable cap so that it may be filled with water or other flowable material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,051, issued Sep. 22,1987 to R. E. Jenison, teaches a dumbbell like device in the form of a bladder having a cylindrical handle and enlarged end pieces, the end pieces having a removable cap for filling the bladder with liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,988, issued Mar. 24, 1987 to D. D. Sobel, describes a device adapted to use aluminum cans as a handheld exercise device. The device is a C-shaped handle with a head portion having a cylindrical recess for receiving the top of the can, and a foot portion for receiving the lip on the bottom of an aluminum can.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,399, issued Sep. 1, 1987 to S. Hayashi, discloses a flexible dumbbell for use in running having a cylindrical body of elastic material with end caps and an inner core having metal discs arranged longitudinally or having a metal powder so that the cylindrical body is flexible. U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,575, issued Aug. 8, 1989 to Wilson, et al., shows a doughnut shaped ring of a collapsible thermoplastic material with a handle going across the inside diameter of the doughnut, being fillable with water or sand. The edges of the ring have accordion type pleats.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,955, issued Aug. 21, 1990 to R. Keen, shows a weight tube with a handle and handle grips, the tube being filled with a high density flowable substance such as water. The weight tube is between five and ten feet long, preferably as long as the height of the exerciser with his arms raised. The weight tube is also quite narrow so that it remains flexible, even after being filled with water, the device being designed on the Nautilus principle so that a substantial portion of the tube remains on the ground, the mass of water being gradually increased as the tube is lifted. U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,087, issued Aug. 6, 1991 to P. Roth, describes a bottle filled with water connected to a cylindrical roll bar by a rope, the roll bar being rotated to raise and lower the bottle for wrist exercise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,778, issued Oct. 15, 1991 to Hull, et al., discloses a dumbbell device with two chambers interconnected by a passageway in a cylindrical handle, the device being partially filled with water to the water may be shifted from one side to the other for rotational stress exercises. The device includes hook and loop fastener straps for attaching the dumbbell to a shoe. U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,615, issued Jul. 11, 1995 to C. D. Correll, shows two bottles with threaded necks connected by a double-ended threaded connector, glitter and foam pellets being placed in water in the bottles for decorative effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,587, issued Aug. 29, 1995 to L. Brown, teaches a dumbbell with a handle and two end chambers, the device including sight windows in the handle and chambers to view the quantity of liquid in the device. Optionally, the chambers may contain bladders. U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,343, issued Dec. 3, 1996 to H. A. Cafiero, describes a "refillable dumbbell" device for holding a liquid filled bottle, including an upper bottle holder portion, a cup-like lower bottle holder portion, and a handle tensioner device between the two portions.
The devices disclosed in the foregoing patents describe weights adapted for particular applications, either exclusively for single hand dumbbell exercises or for lifting with both hands. The kit of the present invention provides both a single handed device and a weight for lifting with both hands. Further, the devices shown in the foregoing patents do not include a carrying case or storage case to prevent accidental leakage of unevaporated fluids, nor do they teach a means for filling the device with liquid. The kit of the present invention includes a convenient storage case and a funnel adapted for filling the weights with water. Furthermore, many of the above devices provide for a symmetrical distribution of the weight, in the case of a dumbbell, with enlarged chambers on opposite sides of the handle, or in the case of a barbell, with enlarged chambers on opposite ends of the bar outside the hand grips. The weights included in the kit of the present invention concentrate the weight beneath the handle in the single hand device, and between the hand grips on the heavier weight.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a water weight exercise kit solving the aforementioned problems is desired.